Lost in the Forest

We may specialize in providing forestry equipment, like wood chippers, for sale, but we also have a general fondness for all things forestry and forest-related. That’s why we think one of the greatest ways to spend idle time, or to be one with nature (if that’s something you enjoy as much as we do), is to hike in a forest. Unfortunately, the awe-inspiring magnificence of forests is also what makes them potentially dangerous, especially if you get lost without the necessary survival skills. So, we’ve decided to share a few tips on what to do if you ever find yourself wandering aimlessly through a forest.

Stop walking

This is the most important and most often repeated advice, yet many people still tend to forget it when faced with the emergency of realizing that they are lost. Staying put is important because walking further is likely to only get you more lost and take you deeper into the forest, as well as make it harder for a search party to find you. Instead, you should sit down, try to calm yourself and see if you can figure out where you are.

Make camp

Especially if it’s late and nightfall is drawing closer, it’s important for you to have shelter. Don’t make it too complicated or too fancy, the most important thing is that you have something to protect you from rain and wind. If you have no time to actually build a shelter, then at least try to find a tree you can take shelter under.

Signal for help

Even if modern conveniences fail you and you can’t get a signal on your phone or other device, there are ways to draw attention to yourself. You should start by making a fire, since it’s also useful for boiling water and cooking food, in case you have to stay put for a longer period of time. Hopefully you have either matches or flints with you, but even if you don’t, you can start a fire either with the hand drill method or fire bow method. After that, you can try sending smoke signals to report your location, but please be extremely careful with any fire you make, to avoid starting a forest fire.